Anna and the French Kiss- Etienne
by Rachel-12345
Summary: This is a version of Anna and the French Kiss from Etienne's point of view. I love this book and have been really interested in seeing what the story would look like from a different viewpoint. I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

**Etienne**

I hung up my mobile, shoving into the back pocket of my jeans. I had only arrived in Paris an hour or two ago and my mum had already called to check how I was. I didn't mind though. She has always been quite protective, I think its partly due to my dad, not that I want to give him any credit or anything, but I think we bonded over a common fear. It became the two of us against him; the two of us against the world. He was never at home- not that I was complaining, I would rather not have to spend time with my dad. He spent his time between London and Paris, whereas mum and I lived in San Francisco. Well, she lived there. My dad shipped me to boarding school in Paris at the earliest opportunity, leaving her alone, and me under his watchful eye.

I caught my reflection in the tiny mirror above my sink, and I looked just as I felt. Shattered. I hated flying. I hated the way your stomach dropped as the plane took off. I hated the feeling I got in the air, one tiny mistake could take us all plummeting to an untimely death. I hated the hot, recycled air and the way it clung to your skin. I hated how tired I got from sitting still, I would always fidget and become restless, earning me dark glares from surrounding passengers.

I washed my face in my sink as an attempt to look more awake. It was no use. Running a hand roughly through my hair, I left my tiny room and I trudged down the stairs to find Meredith. We had spoken briefly on the phone before my fight left when she told me her new room number, it seemed she was the first one out of our friends to arrive. Josh and Rashmi must be getting here tomorrow. The only flight I could get meant I arrived late, and after getting through airport security and the metro journey, it was coming close to midnight. I decided I would just pop in to her room to say hello, before going to bed- my eyes were already halfway closed.

I reach out slowly to push the door, when a force hits me straight on. The impact makes me stagger back, reaching to the corridor wall for support. In a second I am stable again, blinking my weary eyes so they will adjust. Before me there is a girl, I frown a little, she looks my age, so she should be a senior too, but I haven't seen her around school. She definitely must be new, I would have remembered her if I'd seen her before. Frustrated with myself I frown even more, I already have a girlfriend, why am I noticing _her_. _Oh shite, _I forgot to call her! Shes going to be so mad when she finds out I'm already at SOAP. I shake my head, No, _Focus Etienne, Focus_. _Say something_.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were there." The words tumble out of her mouth in a loud whisper. I see her eyes flick up to my hair, I can feel the back of my neck heating. It must look a mess after the long flight. I resist the urge to reach up and smooth it down. _Why do I even care?_

"It's okay, I didn't see you either. Are you all right, then?"

There is a seconds pause, she looks at me and a surprised look crosses her face. I can tell she is shocked to hear my accent, although SOAP is in Paris, it is an American school, meaning all the students are American. Including me, I might add, despite my misleading accent.

"Er." I start unsure of what to do next, _did I get the wrong room? _"Does Mer live here?"

The hallway girl still gives me the same bemused look, like I didn't say anything at all. I clear my throat, the way she is looking at me makes me nervous, and I don't want to think about why.

"Meredith Chevalier? Tall girl? Big, curly hair?" _God, _she must think I'm crazy. A random guy has just stopped her in the corridor and won't let her pass, no wonder she is looking at me weirdly.

"I'm sorry." I edge away from her, giving her a little more room to escape, which I'm pretty sure she will do any minute. "You were going to bed."

"Yes!" She yelped enthusiastically as soon as I finished speaking, as if my movement had woken her up. "Meredith lives there. I've just spent two hours with her." Her grin is so wide it takes up most of her face. "I'm Anna! I'm new here!"

I smile back, I like girls who smile like that. Not any of this smiling-minutely-to-look-attractive crap, her smile was shameless. It was a smile to be earned.

"Etienne, I live one floor up." I mentally kick myself, of course I live one floor up, all the senior boys do. As for the Etienne thing, I don't know what I'm thinking. Only my mum calls me Etienne, all my friends adopt St. Clair, my surname, to address me. I don't know why I didn't tell her I was St. Clair, it just felt wrong for her. She felt different. She felt new.

I was still looking at her when Meredith pulled me into her room, the last glimpse I got of her was as she disappeared quickly into her room.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello? Earth to St. Clair?" Meredith was waving her ring covered finger in front of my face, "What is with you?" A frown crosses over her face, covering the wide mouthed look of glee for a second.

"Were you at Ellies?" She is smiling again, but this one looks less genuine, like it had been forced. She shook her head, jokingly disapproving, and shoved my arm. "You look high or something..."

"What? No," I reply, confused "Why would I have been at Ellies?"

"Um, I dont know. Maybe because shes your girlfriend?!" She snaps back. I only shrug in response.

"Who was that?" I inquire, changing the subject. This only makes her face harden, she turns and pretends to be busy, fiddling with some rings in an old teacup. I cross her small room in a few strides, and sit down on the floor, with my back resting against her bed.

"Mer, please, don't be like this," She looks at me, her face still stoney. She'd been angry with me before school ended, since Ellie had left we both had been spending more time out of SOAP. I wanted to hang out with the rest of our friends still, but she was always pushing to go somewhere alone, saying we'd both grown out of the school. I'd promised Mer I would spend more time with her, Josh and Rashmi this term. That wouldn't be too hard. Ellie started university the week before school started, she had sent me a few brief texts since she arrived, dropping hints about how busy she was now I couldn't help but wonder if she'd grown out of me. I also couldn't understand why the idea didn't upset me more.

"I'm sorry, it was just a long flight, I can't focus right now. I'm so tired..." My words fade out as the corners of her mouth twitch upwards and her face softens.

"How were your holidays?"

I leave Mer's room an hour later, when I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I can't resist looking at Anna's door. I don't know why I do it, its the same cheap, grey door all the rooms here at SOAP have. I hold up my arm to knock on the door. It wouldn't look weird, I could apologise for stopping her in the hallway, and welcome her to Paris. She must be nervous- it was her first day away from home, I assume. My arm is frozen in the same position for a few seconds, before I shake my head and walk briskly away. She's probably asleep anyway, I wouldn't want to wake her... When I get to my room, I go straight to bed, practically falling asleep the second my head hits the pillow. But not before the image of the hallway girl- Anna- appears in my mind.


	3. Chapter 3

After paying for breakfast at the cafeteria, I gesture towards my usual table with my tray, raising one eyebrow. A small smile grows on Anna's face, she must be relieved that she has somewhere to sit. I let her walk slightly in front of me so I can look at her properly, she is slightly taller than me, and has a gap between her front two teeth- frankly its adorable. I can see the top of her silky, brown hair, as her head bobs beside me, and I fight the urge to reach out and stroke it. I can almost imagine the feel of it sliding over my fingers. Annoyingly, I see her glancing at Amanda's table, she can't want to sit there can she? I waver slightly, wishing with all my might she will sit with us. I let out a sigh when she sits down at our table, not even knowing I was holding in so much tension. I put my tray next to hers on the table and drag a nearby chair in the space at Anna's side, glancing at her as I sit down. Our eyes lock for a second, and I smile. She immediately looks down and smiles at her breakfast, the top of her cheeks going pink. When I look up Josh is watching me with a plain face, I launch into a conversation with him before he can say anything.

After breakfast we all headed, with the rest of the school, to pick up our schedules for the rest of the year. Josh is telling me about a new graphic novel he read over summer, but my eyes keep wandering, scanning the crowd for Anna. I see her, timetable in hand, shuffling awkwardly over to Mer and Rashmi. I fidget on the spot, wanting to go over to her. I want her to feel welcome in our group. Luckily, Mer spots her and they exchange schedules, I quickly avert my attention back to Josh.

I'm still standing with Josh when the head delivers her speech, we had been slowly edging over to the girls after receiving our timetables but had not reached them in time for the welcoming speech.

I lean over to Josh, "Here we go again," I mutter in his ear, shoving the top of his folded arm jokingly. He just smirks and rolls his eyes. The 'welcome back' speeches at schools are renowned worldwide for being bad, it seemed. Not even Paris, this city of art and beauty could improve on that. Throughout the speech my eyes drift over towards Anna, and I find myself staring at her again. The head says something about welcoming new students as Anna glances around behind her. She sees me staring, I can feel a blush creeping up the back of my neck. I raise my hands towards her, applauding, hoping to make my stare seem to have a purpose. She fidgets slightly, and I look away. I bite my nail, why do I care about her so much? I wonder why I feel so intent on becoming her friend. She glances at me again, breaking me from my trance. I shake my head to get rid of the thought, and go back to listening to the speech.


End file.
